


Optimistic Tendencies

by Dragongoddess13



Series: CanaryColdAtom Soulmate AU [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 00:31:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: The only thing, visually, that distinguishes Ray from his twin brother are his soul marks. Where Sidney has one, Ray has three. It’s just another point of contention between them, but it’s the one point that doesn’t bother him like the others.  When Ray feels lonely he looks at his marks; one in cute curly letters ‘I’ll bet you say that to all the girls, handsome’ , one in slanted cursive ‘I’m so sorry, I can’t’ and one in neat perfectly spaced cursive ‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me’.





	Optimistic Tendencies

Optimistic Tendencies

xXx

The only thing, visually, that distinguishes Ray from his twin brother are his soul marks. Where Sidney has one, Ray has three. It’s just another point of contention between them, but it’s the one point that doesn’t bother him like the others.  When Ray feels lonely he looks at his marks; one in cute curly letters _‘I’ll bet you say that to all the girls, handsome’_ , one in slanted cursive _‘I’m so sorry, I can’t’_ and one in neat perfectly spaced cursive _‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me’._

Ray wasn’t sure what to think about the last two, he’d remain cautiously optimistic, the first one making it a little easier to do so, but the fact that whatever higher power controlled such things thought he was worthy of not one but three soulmates made him feel a little less like a burden in a world he didn’t always feel like he belonged in.

Raymond Palmer met Anna Loring in college. His friends had dragged him out to a party, determined to get him to open up more. She was at the bar talking to someone about Astrophysics. Ray, ever the easily excitable, butted into the conversation without thinking, agreeing with her observation and adding his own.

Her friend didn’t look all that impressed and for a moment Ray worried he’d overstepped, but then he noticed Anna’s smile.

“I bet you say that to all the girls, handsome.” She tells him and shock sets in for a moment before fading.

“Only you.” He says a smile spreading across his face. She laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard.

“Good answer.”

They left the party together and spent the whole night in his dorm room just talking. It’s more intimate that Ray ever thought a conversation could be. Anna tells him she only has one soul mark, his words, which leads him to believe that the other two are probably platonic. Which is okay, platonic soulmates are just as important as romantic ones, sometimes even more so.

Ray proposes the night Palmer Technologies goes public. They plan and Spring wedding and Ray can’t ever remember being this happy. For the first time in his life he feels like he’s not a burden. He doesn’t feel lonely or lost anymore. He has a purpose and love and it’s everything he could ever hope for.

The night Anna dies everything changes. He thinks his younger self was foolish to believe he knew what it meant to feel lost. It was nothing compared to now. He throws himself into work in the hopes of forgetting but the grey words tracing the pattern of his ribs won’t ever let him forget.

Over the next few months a lot of things happen. He buys Queen Consolidated, meets Felicity Smoak and builds a super powered exosuit. He ends up befriending the Arrow, which is weird and finding out he’s Oliver Queen, which actually make sense. He starts dating Felicity, which goes a long way to helping him move on from the grief that has informed the majority of his decisions over the last year.

“You have three soulmates?” Felicity questions one morning as he comes out of the bathroom after his shower. He simply nods. “And you’ve lost two?”

That gets his attention and whips around to look at her. “What?”

Felicity looks wide eyed up at him from where she’s sitting on the edge of his bed. “Two of your marks are grey.” she says, voice soft, she’s come to realize he hadn’t known before she pointed it out, especially when he turns his back to the mirror and tries to see which one.

She’s right, _‘I’m so sorry, I can’t’_ is no longer a striking jet black against his skin. Now its a solid grey, a sheen of iridescent purple in the light. Ray feels his legs give out underneath him, falling to the floor as the blood rushes in his ears, drowning out Felicity’s startled cry. He can’t feel anything, doesn’t register anything going on around him. Felicity is there, pulling him to his feet and helping him back into bed. He doesn’t get out again for two days.

He continues to fight for Starling City, working toward fixing the broken city. He meets The Flash and his team. He and Felicity call it quits and he continues to work on the project that’s kept him occupied for years.

He’s working late into the night when his experiment goes critical, destroying the top floor of Palmer Technologies and unfortunately/fortunately, proving his theory correct. Being trapped in a jar while a madman tries to pick the city apart is not his idea of a good time, but he’s resourceful and he knows he can count on team arrow to come for him.

He’s so preoccupied with being less than an inch tall, he doesn’t notice one of his grey soulmarks has turned black again.

They’re in the bunker when all is said and done, and it doesn’t really register with Ray that Laurel’s sister is there, especially since Felicity had once confided in him about her death. She’s off by herself in the bunker, looking haunted. She’s kept herself away from all of them since they got back from Darhk’s warehouse and he’s thanked everyone but her so far.

“So, I didn’t get the chance to thank you for the rescue, I owe ya one.” he tells her and he watches as she looks up at him, emotions crossing her face, one after the other. It starts with shock, rounds to longing and finally shutters to a halt at regret.

“I’m so sorry, I can’t.” she says, stepping back and slipping out of the bunker before anyone can notice them.

He confides in Felicity about it later, but he’s really not in the mood to talk about it. If he’s honest with himself, it’s actually just nice to know she’s alive. She must tell her sister, because at some point Laurel finds him. She tells him exactly what happened to Sara, from the gambit to the league to her death and eventually her resurrection. She tells him that the pit left her with something dangerous, something they discovered while trying to rescue him and now she’s gone, left Star City to find something to help her and the darkness that persists.

His conversation with Laurel helps significantly. He just wishes he could be there to help her. He hopes he’ll get the chance to tell her he’ll be there for her if she needs him.

It’s January when Ray is reunited with Sara and meets his third soulmate. The man from the future promises them a future where he’s not just a hero, he’s a legend. It’s everything he’s worked for. A chance to leave his mark on history. He doesn’t even have to think about it. The fact that Sara shows up at the rendezvous only confirms that he’s made the right decision. She gives him a little smile of acknowledgement, but doesn’t say anything else until their on the bridge.

“How many soulmates do you have?” she asks out of the blue. He’s off by himself looking around the bridge and her voice is low enough that no one else can hear them.

“Three, your the second one I’ve met, why?”

Sara hooks a thumb over her shoulder and he follows the line to find Leonard Snart, his back to them as he stands next to Mick, talking in hushed tones.

“Number three.” she finishes simply, just as Rip tells them all to take a seat. As far as first words go, their not the ones he’d hoped he’d say to one of his soulmates and Leonard’s response could very well be because of that and less that it’s him, though he’s not going to hold his breath.

Ray wants to talk to Sara, he wants to know how she’s doing, if she found what she was looking for. He wants to talk to Leonard, to find out what he’s thinking about all of this, to understand where he stands, but Rip has them jumping in feet first. When it all calms down their in the cargo bay, moping and dejected. They’ve been lied to, and it hurts to know that everything he’s worked for his entire life will amount to nothing.

He can’t imagine what Sara must be feeling, and he certainly doesn’t think he can begin to understand what Leonard is thinking. Sara’s words are a great relief, and he knows she’s right the minute she says it. Their in a time ship, why can’t they change their fates. Leonard seems to agree too, which makes him think there’s more to him than his criminal record. He finds out he’s right when he accompanies Leonard and Mick on their mission to steal the dagger.

The ship is somber after the little memorial Kendra puts together for her soulmate and their son. Ray is in his room, absently fiddling with his suit when he hears voices outside his door.

“When you offered me a drink, this isn’t what I had in mind.” it’s Leonard’s lazy drawl, sounding slightly annoyed.

“And what did you have in mind, Snart?” Sara asks, and Ray can practically hear the smirk she’s undoubtedly wearing. Ray doesn’t hear Leonard’s response but a moment later there’s a knock on his door before it slides open, revealing his soulmates. Sara lifts a dark bottle of something, in clear question and he nods, shifting his helmet out of his lap and moving to the edge of the bed as they step in, closing the door behind them. Sara pours out three glasses and passes them around, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to him, while Leonard lounges in the desk chair. They don’t speak as they drink, the somber mood that’s settled over the ship not dissipating, even among soulmates.

Sara sighs as she finishes off her first glass and pours another. “Enough of this.” she says, setting her glass aside and pulling a little metal case of her pocket.

“What’s that?” Ray asks.

Sara grins at him. “The weed I stole from young Stein in the 70’s.”

Leonard snorts and finishes off his own drink. “I still can’t believe that old man used to be fun.”

“I never said he was fun.” Sara tells him, laughing, and lighting one of the cigarettes and taking a drag. She offers it to Ray who takes a drag, holds it pretty well and starts coughing as he lets it out. He hands it across to Leonard who smirks at him.

“Not much of a smoker, Raymond?”

“Not since college.” he clears his throat. Leonard takes a drag and completes the circle, handing it back to Sara.

“Bit of a rebel in college?” Sara questions, taking another drag.

Ray shrugs. “Not really. Just the normal college stuff. Anna always made sure I had fun around all the studying.”

“Anna was your fiance wasn’t she?” Ray’s surprised she knows that and she seems to notice. “Felicity mentioned her. She was your first soulmate, the first one you found, I mean.”

Ray nods. He takes the cigarette when she holds it out to him. This time he only takes a quick puff before handing it Leonard.

“I suppose we should discuss this.” he says, not sounding all that enthused about it. Ray supposes that’s just how he is. He doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy talking about feelings or opening up to anyone, soulmates or not. Ray gets the feeling he’s intensely private and he wonders what he’s gone through to keep him so shuttered.

“It would be nice to know where things stand.” Ray replies and Sara seems to agree.

Leonard doesn’t appear ready to say anymore, so Sara speaks up first.

“Not much has changed since we first met.” she tells Ray. “But, I’m willing to give things a try. It’ll probably be slow going but, I am willing to try.”

Hope blooms in his chest. He nods. They both turn to look at Leonard.

Leonard notices and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “We’ll take it slow. See what happens.” he finally says, not making any promises. He takes a pull from the cigarette and passes it on. He’s clearly uncomfortable, so Ray changes the subject, an act that Leonard seems grateful for.

“So did you really hit Stein in the head with a bong?”

Sara smirked.   


End file.
